Bellator 61 debuts at The Horseshoe Riverdome on March 16th

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 12, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the Bayou State on Friday, March 16 for Bellator 61 live from Bossier City at the Horseshoe Riverdome. The night will feature the long-awaited rematch between “The American Solider” Eric Prindle (@EricPrindleMMA) and “The Big Monster” Thiago Santos (@BigMonsterMMA) to determine a winner from last season’s heavyweight tournament. The quarterfinals of the Season 6 Middleweight Tournament will kick off as well, along with a host of local talent from the Louisiana area.

Tickets for the event are now on sale and can be purchased online at Riverdome.com, by phone at 888-512-SHOW (7469) or by visiting The Gift Horse at Horseshoe Bossier City Casino. Tickets are priced from $25-$75. The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST.

The undefeated Trey Houston looks to keep his spotless record intact as he battles Bellator veteran Jeremiah Riggs in a middleweight affair. No stranger to being in front of the camera, Riggs has appeared on Spike’s TNA’s Impact Wrestling as well as WWE’s Tough Enough.

Baton Rouge native and dangerous welterweight Eric Scallan looks to impress in his Bellator debut when he takes on Derrick Krantz, who calls Texas home. Scallan enters the fight riding a three-fight win streak, and will look to keep the momentum going from The Riverdome.

Patrick Cenoble is set to take on Dallas native Derek Campos in a lightweight battle, while fan-favorite Jason Sampson clashes with the always tough Jeremy Myers in a bantamweight affair.

“Louisiana’s been like a second home to Bellator,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our last two Louisiana events we’re spectacular sell outs, so when we had the chance to bring Bellator to The Riverdome, it was a very easy decision. The Prindle-Santos fight is going to be a war, and the rest of the card is just loaded top to bottom. March 16th will be a great night in Bossier City.”